A Confederacy of Dunces

Ignatius visits the headquarters of Paradise Vendors, Incorporated, a company that deploys hot-dog-shaped food carts across New Orleans. He eats a hot dog while lambasting Mr. Clyde, the owner, for whistling a “discordant abomination” (136). Four hot dogs later, Ignatius reveals that he cannot pay and is forced to take a job as a vendor to clear his debt. Ignatius parks the cart and begins to eat the hot dogs without selling any. George approaches and asks for a hot dog, but Ignatius refuses. They argue and George slouches away; Ignatius calls for someone to “grab that juvenile delinquent” (143). A crowd circles Ignatius and he eats another hot dog to calm down. By the time he circles back around to Paradise Vendors, he has four hot dogs left and tells Mr. Clyde that he was robbed by “a member of the vast teen-age underground” (144). Reluctantly, Mr. Clyde believes Ignatius and offers him a job. Ignatius accepts, as the “work offered little supervision and harassment” (145).

Jones has made an “attempt at some subtle sabotage” by cleaning the bar floor poorly (146). When Lana complains, Jones says that “for twenny dollar a week, you gotta expec a little crap” (146).